Working Group 8: Submarine Cable Routing and Landing Working Group Report 1: Spatial Separation December 3, 2014 Kent Bressie (North American Submarine Cable Association/ Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP), Chair
WG8 Overview WG8 is examining the risks posed to submarine cable infrastructure and how proximity to other marine activities, governmental permitting processes, and clustering of cable routes and landings can increase the risk of cable damage and harm U.S. network resilience. WG8 will recommend separation standards and alternative architectures, government policies, and interagency coordination mechanisms to promote a more resilient submarine cable infrastructure. 2
WG8 Membership WG8 Chair: Kent Bressie, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP/NASCA FCC Liaison: Michael Connelly, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau NAME Steve Balk Stephen Bowler* Chuck Brownawell Catherine Creese Seth Davis Jennifer Golladay Kurt Johnson Nick Lordi John Madden John Mariano Ann Miles* Mike O Hare Wayne Pacine Brian Peretti Neil Rondorf Frank Salley Joseph Schatz Nikki Shone Matthew Solomon Rick Spencer Takahiro Sumimoto Alland Sy Gerald Tourgee Robert Wargo Joel Whitman ORGANIZATION Sprint Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Sprint U.S. Navy SRD Consulting Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of the Interior Pacific Crossing Applied Communication Sciences State of Alaska The David Ross Group Federal Energy Regulatory Commission State of Alaska Federal Reserve Board of Governors U.S. Department of the Treasury Leidos (also Chairman, International Cable Protection Committee) Verizon U.S. Department of the Treasury Southern Cross Cables U.S. Department of the Treasury CenturyLink Pacific Crossing Goldman Sachs North American Submarine Cable Association AT&T (also President, North American Submarine Cable Association) Whitman Consulting Group * As an independent regulatory agency, FERC and its personnel are not formal members of WG8 and participate only in an informal, advisory capacity. 3
Report 1: Spatial Separation Report 1 examines the natural and man-made risks to submarine cable infrastructure and recommends the adoption of additional protection measures, best practices, and policies by submarine cable operators and by the U.S. Government to mitigate those risks. Recent spatial conflicts between installed and planned submarine cables and other marine activities (including offshore dredging, beach replenishment, and offshore wind farms and marine hydrokinetic energy projects) highlight the urgent need for Greater understanding of the spatial requirements for submarine cable installation and maintenance, Recognition and implementation of spatial separation standards and methodologies (including default rules where coordination between marine activities does not occur or fails to resolve spatial conflicts), and Development of additional standards and policies to ensure the resilience of U.S. submarine cable infrastructure and continuity of communications 4
Submarine Cables and U.S. Connectivity More than 95 percent of all U.S. international voice, data, and Internet traffic travels by submarine cable a percentage that continues to increase over time. Submarine cables provide the principal domestic connectivity between the contiguous United States and Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and provide substantial intrastate or intra-territorial connectivity within each of Alaska, Hawaii, the Northern Marianas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. offshore areas contain significant existing and planned submarine cable infrastructure, and more is planned. At least 55 in-service submarine cable systems traverse these areas, and at least 12 more have been announced or are currently under construction. 5
Existing U.S. Submarine Cables 6
Importance of Submarine Cables for U.S. National Security and Economy Submarine cables support trillions of dollars of U.S. economic activity. They provide access to Internet content, a substantial proportion of which is located in the United States and accessed by foreign consumers and businesses. They also carry the vast majority of civilian and military U.S. Government traffic, as the U.S. Government does not own and operate its own submarine cables. Given the national-security and economic importance of submarine cables, timely repairs with unfettered access to the sea floor, water column, and ocean surface are critical. Cable damage has in many cases resulted in significant disruptions of communications and slower Internet speeds. 7
Primacy of the FCC The FCC functions as the primary U.S. regulator of submarine cables (under the Cable Landing License Act of 1921) and is responsible for licensing all international submarine cables landing in the United States, although numerous federal, state, and local government agencies also issue authorizations governing installation and construction activities. The FCC plays a coordinating role in various interagency processes, and other governmental agencies frequently look to the FCC for guidance on matters pertaining to submarine cables. No other agency collects as much timely or centralized information about planned and in-service cables and their locations. The FCC is in the best position to advocate for cable-protection initiatives and coordination among various governmental agencies. 8
What Are Submarine Cables? Submarine cables typically have the diameter of a garden hose, including glass fibers for transmission, a copper core for conducting power, and insulation and armoring. In deep-sea areas, submarine cables rest on the surface of the sea floor. In shallow coastal areas, submarine cables are typically armored externally with steel wire rod and buried to a depth of up to two meters. They have a planned commercial lifespan of 25 years but are often used for longer periods of time. 9
Submarine cables are installed and repaired by cable ships built specifically for cable-related operations and designed for covering vast distances and multi-month deployments. Cable ships are crewed by highly trained and experienced crews that use specialized equipment working on the surface of the sea, in the water column, and on the sea floor to install and repair submarine cables. Cable maintenance providers contract with individual owners of submarine cable systems and/or with regional maintenance authorities for the provision of long-term maintenance services. How Are Submarine Cables Installed and Repaired? 10
Access for Vessels and Equipment Cable ships are large vessels (often more than 125 meters in length) that require space in which to maneuver when installing or repairing submarine cables, and to accommodate the effect of bad weather on the ocean. Offshore developments involving large structures, like oil platforms, turbine towers, and submerged structures, present obstacles precluding cable ships from having ready access to the sea floor for new installations (and for repair of previously-installed cables). Heavy vessel traffic, fishing, military operations, or seasonal restrictions can also impede or delay installation. 11
Spatial Needs for Submarine Cable Installation and Maintenance To install and maintain submarine cables and minimize outage time in connection with repairs, submarine cable operators Engage in extensive route planning and survey activities to minimize conflicts with other marine activities and ensure the safest and most economical route, Coordinate extensively with government agencies, other marine industries, and Seek to ensure ready and unfettered access for cable ships and equipment to the ocean surface, water column, and seabed around a submarine cable. 12
Cable Retrieval and Repair To recover a cable from the sea floor for repair purposes, a cable ship usually grapples for the cable by dragging a grapnel on the sea floor perpendicular to the cable a task complicated by the presence of other marine activities and infrastructure and by poor weather and cutting the cable to bring the cable to the surface. A damaged submarine cable must be repaired onboard a cable ship. But a cable (whether tensioned or not) that is resting on, or buried in, the seabed will lack sufficient slack to reach the surface for repair. A new section of cable two-and-one-half times the depth of water is spliced in, tested, and then returned to the sea floor in a U-shaped configuration, so that the cable lies flat and is not looped on top of itself. 13
Threats to Submarine Cables Submarine cables are subject to diverse natural and man-made risks of damage that vary depending on the state of implementation or operation of the system. More intensive use of U.S. coastal and marine areas for resource and infrastructure development activities creates a scarcity of unused and underused areas, which: Poses direct risks of damage from equipment, anchors, infrastructure installation and operation, and resource exploration, exploitation, and transport, Impairs access to installed submarine cable systems, increasing repair costs and the length of communications outages, and Can distort routing and landing decisions, making the U.S. network less resilient. 14
Specific Sources of Risk Commercial Fishing Commercial fishing-related damage is most often caused by bottomtending fishing gear such as trawl nets and dredges, but it is also caused by long lines anchored to the seabed and pot and trap fisheries using grapnels for gear retrieval. Historically, commercial fishing has accounted for more than 40 percent of all submarine cable faults worldwide. Submarine cable operators use cable armoring and burial, cable awareness and liaison programs, and programs to compensate fishermen for snagged gear, and these measures have been very effective in minimizing cable damage in the U.S. territorial sea and OCS. 15
Specific Sources of Risk Anchoring Anchoring threats include: improperly-stowed anchors, which release or fall overboard and can be dragged for great lengths along the sea floor, damaging cables along its path; anchoring outside of approved anchorages and near installed submarine cables; anchors dragged by properly-anchored vessels, depending on sea conditions; and an anchor dropped in a marine emergency. Anchoring is the second most common source of damage to submarine cables on a worldwide basis. Submarine cable operators seek to route around designated anchorages. 16
Dredging and Dumping Specific Sources of Risk Sand and gravel dredging and beach replenishment authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior ( BOEM ) can damage submarine cables through the use of vessel anchors, barges, and pipelines used to recover, transport, and pump dredged material back onto shore. Sand and gravel dredging disturbs sea floor sediments, triggering erosion in other areas as sand migrates to fill the dredged area. This reduces the burial depth of submarine cables exposing them to greater risk of damage by commercial fishing and anchoring and can damage cables through abrasion. 17
Oil and Gas Development Specific Sources of Risk Uncoordinated offshore oil and gas exploration, exploitation, and transport activities pose significant risks to submarine cables, including: Direct physical disturbance through the use of anchors for production platforms and related exploration and production equipment; Pipeline proximity to and crossings with cables, which pose direct physical disturbance risks with installation and maintenance and additional risks with cablepipeline crossings; and Impaired access to submarine cables both at the surface (for cable ships) and on the sea floor (for cables) during installation and maintenance, all of which increases the complexity, costs, and time required to complete installations and repairs and can increase the costs to customers of network outages. As demand increases and technology evolves, oil and gas infrastructure will likely move offshore into deeper waters and potentially to new areas along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. 18
Specific Sources of Risk Clustering of Submarine Cables Submarine cables may cluster along particular routes, whether to avoid unfavorable sea floor topography, natural hazards, or man-made hazards such as dredging and dumping areas, fishing grounds, and energy infrastructure, or as a consequence of government policies encouraging or mandating such clustering (such as with cable corridors). Clustering increases the risk that installation or maintenance of one cable will cause direct physical disturbance to another, such as with plowing and grappling operations. 19
Earthquakes and Tsunamis Earthquakes can trigger subsea landslides (which sever/abrade cables) and tsunamis (which can damage submarine cables and landings). Sea Floor Geology Bottom features such as pinnacles or boulder fields that would leave a cable exposed, high current areas that could lead to chafing, long tidal flats, and trawl scars all pose risks of damage and complicate installation and repair. Submarine cable operators prefer to land their cables in locations that have stable, benign landing features. Weather Specific Sources of Risk Severe seasonal weather such as hurricanes, gales, and storms, shore ice, and icebergs pose risks for cables and cable ships. 20
Specific Sources of Risk Offshore Renewable Energy Development Demand for environmentally-friendly and domestic energy sources has created significant interest in three particular sources of renewable energy: (1) offshore wind; (2) wave, tidal, and ocean current (aka marine hydrokinetic ( MHK ) energy); and (3) ocean thermal energy conversion ( OTEC ). Placement of offshore generating facilities and mooring anchors near submarine cables increases the likelihood of a cable fault due to the risk of sea floor scouring. Placement and maintenance of structures on the seabed or in the water column pose similar risks to submarine cables as do oil and gas development, absent sufficient spatial separation. Power transmission cables pose physical risks and personnel safety risks during submarine cable installation and maintenance operations and entail multiple crossings of submarine cables. 21
Deep-Sea Mining Specific Sources of Risk Deep-sea mining to harvest polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich manganese crusts, and sea floor massive sulfides both exploratory and exploitative can cause direct physical disturbance of submarine cables by anchoring of production support vessels and platforms and additional equipment on the sea floor. Minerals mining operations present a threat of erosion and abrasion; destabilization of the sea floor; and redeposited sediments, all of which may expose or suspend cables above the sea floor. Large offshore developments impede access to undersea telecommunications cable systems both at the surface (for cable vessels) and on the sea floor. 22
U.S. Treaty Obligations and Customary International Law These recognize unique freedoms for the installation and maintenance of submarine cables in a coastal state s exclusive economic zone (extending 200 nautical miles seaward) and on its continental shelf. These also require coastal states to prevent willful or negligent damage to cables and have due regard to cables or pipelines already in position. Statutory Penalties U.S. Legal Regime U.S. law provides that damaging a submarine cable whether deliberately or through negligence is a federal offense punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. The penalties, however, are unlikely to deter negligent or willful damage and do not even cover the cost of the repair. 23
Protection Methods: Industry Standards Standards promulgated by the International Cable Protection Committee ( ICPC ), the North American Submarine Cable Association ( NASCA ), and Subsea Cables UK include: A default separation distance between cables (3 times depth of water, or 2 times depth of water with agreement); Criteria for crossings of submarine cables, power cables, and pipelines; Effective protection of installed submarine cables; Coordination procedures between submarine cables and offshore civil engineering works; Coordination procedures for offshore seismic survey work in the vicinity of in-service submarine cables; and Proximity methodology and default separation distance (of 500 meters) for submarine cables and offshore wind facilities. 24
Protection Methods: Separation Distances A separation distance establishes a minimum separation distance between an existing marine or coastal activities in the absence of any mutual agreement to allow closer proximity. BOEM has reached an informal agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard not to allow the installation of wind energy structures within one nautical mile of a traffic separation scheme. The U.S. Coast Guard also regularly establishes safety zones around facilities conducting energy exploration and exploitation activities on the U.S. outer continental shelf. Many countries as diverse as China, Denmark, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom have established default or minimum separation distances to protect submarine cables. 25
Protection Methods: Zones and Corridors Cable protection zones prohibit specified activities posing risks to submarine cables including fishing, anchoring, and dredging within fixed geographic areas. Both Australia and New Zealand have established cable protection zones, which they enforce with air and sea patrols and for which they impose severe infringement penalties. Corridors require submarine cable operators to route their infrastructure in defined geographic areas and could: Provide insufficient space for installation and repair activities, Concentrate risks of damage, and Limit landing point options. 26
Protection Methods: Legal Penalties The 1884 Convention on cable protection requires state parties to establish offenses for cable damage. U.S. penalty amounts have not been updated since enactment more than 125 years ago. Countries such as Australia and New Zealand have established more substantial penalties, ones that are more likely to have a deterrent effect on those who might damage submarine cables. Countries such as Sweden require that if the owner of a cable or pipeline causes damage to another cable or pipeline, the owner shall pay the cost of repairing the damage. 27
Protection Methods: Marine Spatial Planning To date, U.S. federal agencies have generally undertaken only site-specific analyses for individual cases and projects, which places the burden on the submarine cable operator to justify a particular method of protection. Some U.S. states have been more inclined than others to address matters relating to cable separation, installation, available routing, and landing locations through spatial planning. NASCA participates directly as a stakeholder organization in the Mid-Atlantic Council on the Ocean ( MARCO ) and the Northeast Regional Ocean Council ( NROC ). 28
Other Protection Methods Cable-Fishing Committees: cooperative arrangements to avoid highly fished areas, declare no-fishing zones, and compensate for snagged gear. Very effective in United States. Crossing Agreements: identifies and establishes notification and coordination procedures between submarine cables and power cables and oil and gas pipelines. None existing for renewable energy projects. Cable Awareness Programs: submarine cable operators notify nautical charting authorities of installed cable locations and share location information with commercial fishermen. 29
Evaluation Existing submarine cable protection in the United States Is inadequate in absolute terms, and Falls far short of measures adopted by other developed and developing countries. U.S. Government has not reflected status of submarine cables as critical infrastructure in cable-protection policies. Federal agencies have generally failed to coordinate at federal, state, and local levels and lack awareness. Industry self-help mechanisms previously used to coordinate with offshore oil and gas and commercial fishing Have proved wholly inadequate for addressing emerging issues with offshore renewable energy development, and Increasingly fail to address continuing issues with oil and gas development, dredging, and beach replenishment. 30
Recommendations for FCC Action 1. Early Consultation FCC should urge relevant agencies and industries to consult at the earliest possible stage, long before any construction commences. 2. Multiple Measures FCC should recognize that no one cable-protection method is sufficient. 3. Exclusion Zones Around Existing Submarine Cables FCC should endorse protection zones that reflect well-established spatial requirements for cable installation and maintenance. Where submarine cables traverse energy lease blocks and rights of way, FCC should urge energy agencies to require separation distances or decline to authorize development within specified areas containing submarine cables. 31
Recommendations for FCC Action 4. Default Separation Distance FCC should follow industry standards and best practices of other governments to endorse a default separation distance of 500 meters in water depths of less than 75 meters and the greater of 500 meters or two times the depth of water in greater depths of water. Would apply in the absence of a specific methodology or separation distances for specific offshore activities in relation to submarine cables or of consent of affected parties. FCC should also urge other federal, state, and local government agencies to recognize such default separation distances. 5. Endorsement of Existing Standards FCC should recognize ICPC, NASCA, and Subsea Cables UK recommendations as standards and best practices regarding submarine cable protection. 32
Recommendations for FCC Action 6. Development of New and Updated Standards FCC should encourage industry bodies to update existing recommendations and develop new ones to address emerging risks, such as specific developments with renewable energy facilities and activities. 7. Greater Public Dissemination of Standards FCC should encourage enhanced public availability and dissemination of ICPC recommendations and model crossing agreement. 8. Recharacterization of ICPC Recommendations 9. FCC should encourage ICPC to consider re-labelling its recommendations as standards, given that other marine activities and regulators often claim that recommendations are not authoritative. 33
Recommendations for FCC Action 9. ICPC Membership FCC should explore whether it or another U.S. Government agency should join ICPC as a member. Participation would provide more up-to-date information about submarine cable operations and deployments and provide a useful forum for engaging on cable-protection issues. 10. Standardize Treatment of Route Position List ( RPL ) Data FCC should encourage a standardized approach to RPL data dissemination across federal agencies and favor dissemination of such data in order to promote awareness of installed submarine cables and the spatial requirements for existing and future cables. 11. Mesh Networking FCC should encourage mesh topologies as a supplement to other cable protection measures. 34
Recommendations for FCC Action 12. Greater Statutory Penalties for Cable Damage FCC should highlight for other U.S. Government agencies and the U.S. Congress the need for legislation substantially increasing the civil and criminal penalties for damage to submarine cable infrastructure. Current penalty levels are too low to deter activities that might damage installed submarine cables and do not cover the cost of repair. 13. FCC Rule Modification FCC should revoke or revise the standard licensing condition in 47 C.F.R. 1.767(g)(2), providing that a cable must be moved upon request of the Secretary of the Army a condition that could be invoked for a dredging or beach replenishment project. This condition is inconsistent with the status of submarine cables as critical infrastructure and unworkable as a practical matter. 35
WG8 Remaining Deliverables Report 2 will examine gaps, conflicts, and sources of delay in existing federal, state, and local interagency coordination for offshore permitting and recommend mechanism for enhancing coordination without increasing regulatory burdens March 2015 Report 3 will address industry best practices and government policies for promoting geographic diversity of submarine cable routes and landings March 2015 36